Taurine has been reported to have both antiarrhythmic and positive inotropic effects on the heart. It has been proposed that taurine may exert these effects by altering calcium and potassium movement in the myocardial cell. The mechanism by which taurine mediates these changes in ion flux remains the central focus of this investigations. In addition, the effect of ischemia on tissue taurine levels will be examined using a highly reproducible perfused rat heart model.